Hogwarts, Book Two: The Staff of Merlin
by entropist
Summary: Highly AU / A new year in Hogwarts. While Harry Potter is busy planning his wedding and Alexander Lockenburn deals with his baby girl, Albus Dumbledore offers shelter to an old friend and his pupils. This sets the tone for a year where everything changes. For Ian Malcolm, Kieran McDougall, Kenneth Lionheart and Julie Carteret, this is the year childhood ends... HP/GW; RW/HG; NT/RL
1. Prologue: Among Shadows

_**Author's Notes: **_

_**Okay, we're starting to roll on this one! This is the direct sequel to "The Warlocks of Atlantis". While this is part of the overall 'Hogwarts' series, this is the second part of the global arc I refer to as "the Shadows of Atlantis".**_

_**Now, I think this particular episode will be tricky. the changes I introduced to the original story in the first episode will have serious consequences in this one, and I will need to be careful with the revisions I will add. So updates may be a little slower as the recent ones on the last story I posted. But I certainly promise all my readers that the updates will be steadier in pace!**_  
_**I have two persons I need to credit right now, before to begin. First, as often, I want to salute Wolf-redlance, my 'pen-pal', fellow countryman and fellow writer, who shares this Alternate Universe with me, as proven by my shameless exploitation of his character Alwena Silverleaf in the previous story.**_

_**And second, I need to thank and credit another writer, who was publishing on the site I was posting this story in its first version. her name is Beth and her pen-name over there was Phoenix_Song. She was writing a prequel story called 'Lily's story'. We agreed back then that I would be able to use some elements of her story, which I did. In return, she included Damien Lockenburn, Alexander's dad, in the students attending Hogwarts with the Marauders. She has since then stopped posting, and I've left the site behind, but some elements of this story are still used in my own. I will underline the parts that I used as they pop up, but I wanted to acknowledge her contribution right away.**_

_**Alright, on with the story!**_

* * *

**HOGWARTS**

**Book Two**

**THE STAFF OF MERLIN**

* * *

**_Prologue: Among shadows_**

* * *

Kenton was running through the forest, breathless and terrified. He had sent all the warnings he could, as soon as he had spotted the intruding shadows in the darkness of the trees. He couldn't believe what was happening. Someone was attacking the Sanctuary. This hadn't happened in more than four centuries! This simply could not be happening.

Kenton was running fast. The Master had always said that he was the fastest man he knew. He had never prided himself of being a warrior. He was a scholar, a man of peace and knowledge. But he was fast and he couldn't let these people reach the Sanctuary without doing something. He needed to make sure that his people, that Orlando was safe.

He was nearing the first clearings, the parts of Brocéliande where the Master resided. He suddenly hit an invisible wall and fell roughly, his back hitting the forest soil, cutting his breath. Despite the shock and the pain, he smiled. His warning had been heeded! They had invoked the magical shield that warded the Sanctuary against intruders with hostile intent.

Kenton got back on his feet. Now the safest course for him was to escape the woods, in order not to draw the attention of the intruders on the vital parts of the sacred place. He was preparing to apparate when he heard the sound of running footsteps. Then a sudden wave of pain sent him on his knees, screaming like he had never before. The Cruciatus curse... Kenton tried to get back up, panting heavily, when three silhouettes emerged from the trees, near him. By the noise in the woods, Kenton knew there were many more out there. The three walked past him, barely paying him any attention. The silhouette at the lead made a sudden commanding gesture, to stop their advance. Slowly, carefully, the hooded figure extended a hand and touched the shield. It took exceptional reflexes for the unknown person not to be hit by a bolt of lightning, but with a jump back, the lightning missed. Kenton then heard a muffled voice, altered by a mask or a spell, which made it difficult to identify.

"Oh," it said. "That's unexpected."

"What is it?" asked one of the other two, on a harsh tone.

They were speaking English, but the second had a heavy accent that Kenton couldn't trace. The first one, who seemed to be their leaders, turned to answer.

"They invoked the Shield," the mysterious voice said. "It means they have been warned of our coming."

There was a scream of rage and the other man lowered his hood to reveal the face of a madman, rage flaring in his eyes as he turned toward Kenton.

"Who did this?!" he hissed.

The fury in his eyes was dreadful to watch. Kenton was still trying to fight off the curse that had hit him. The man lunged at him and kicked him viciously. The sharp pain in his chest told Kenton that at least one rib had been broken. The taste of blood in his mouth told him that his lung had been hit.

"Was it you? Answer me, scum! Was it you?! _Crucio_!"

Pain seared in his veins, and Kenton was seized by terrible convulsions.

"Oh, calm down, will you?" said the hooded figure. "I can get us inside."

"How would you do that?" retorted the other. "The shield is known to be impenetrable."

"Watch and learn," said the leader, getting a wand out.

The wand was passed over a slightly exposed palm, and a cut appeared, drawing blood. The silhouette then shook its hand toward the shield. The drop of blood seemed to fly across the cold night air and to pause suddenly, before a wide tear appeared inside the shield, with a flash of light.

"How?" croaked Kenton, before the meaning of what he had just seen hit him fully.

There was only one way to pass through the Sanctuary shield, and the implication was so terrible that Kenton forgot his pain, long enough to raise his staff.

"_TRAITOR_!" he roared. "_EXPULSO_!"

But his spell was blocked by the flick of the wand of the hooded figure, who turned to him.

"Oh, don't give me those eyes, Brother Kenton," said the voice. "Your lot have been begging for this to happen for centuries. Did you really expect your way of seeing magic would work?"

"You're disgusting!" retorted Kenton, weakly.

"Quite possibly," replied the traitor. "But as disgusting as I am, there's nothing you can do to stop me, now."

He was interrupted by a a bell ringing in the distance. It sounded like an ancient belle and the echo lasted longer than natural. The traitor raised his eyes to the sky, sighed and then had a chuckle.

"Well played, Brother Kenton," said the voice. "You have cast you voice to reach the Sanctuary, haven't you? Your spell was never intended to hit me, was it?"

"What use would it be against the likes of you?" sneered Kenton.

"Quite right, old fellow," said the traitor, with a smile in the tone. "So against all odds, you have indeed thwarted us. You can be proud of that."

"What are you blabbering about?" protested the man who had kicked Kenton. "What are we waiting for?"

"We failed, you thick-headed brute," replied the other, with something like amusement in the voice. " The little brother, here, has warned our target of our approach, despite the shield. They're gone."

"What?" screamed the other.

The third one finally spoke.

"The bell," he said. "What was it?"

"It's a signal," said the traitor. "It means the Master has left the Sanctuary. And where the Master goes, they go. We're done, here. They're out of our reach, for now."

"But they could have faked it," replied the third one, calmly.

"No, not this bell," said the Traitor. "You see, there is no real bell. It's a spell on the whole Sanctuary. And the sound can't be faked. They're gone, and that's that."

The vicious one screamed again in rage and frustration. He turned on Kenton, who still lied on the grass. He raised his wand.

"Oh, leave him alone," said the traitor, with an annoyed huff. "He's outsmarted us. At the least, that gives him the right to a chance at survival. If he doesn't bleed out in his lungs before he's found, his life is his."

"I don't take my orders from you, scum," snapped the other.

He darted his wand at Kenton and mumbled in a language that Kenton didn't know. With a chill, the Brother felt his heart freeze in his chest. He knew he was dying. But a lost thought brought a smile to his face, as he faded. The Master was gone. This meant they were safe... Orlando was safe. The Sanctuary was safe.

He was no warrior, but still, he had won. The last thing he heard was the irritated voice of the traitor, who was bent over him.

"One day, Arthan, you'll get into a mess and your insolent luck won't be enough to get you out of it..."

* * *

It was nearly dawn, when he found Kenton. Sadly, Ariel Entwistle sighed when his eyes fell on his dead form, lying in the grass. Coming to kneel beside him, Ariel studied his face. He had seen rough times. He had been tortured and hit. But there was still a smile on his face, something like triumph. This was puzzling. Getting back on his feet, Ariel raised his wand and levitated the corpse, leading him to the edge of the woods, where his Brothers would find him.

This was serious. They had been very close to disaster. The Sanctuary was at risk, now. Without Kenton, here, everything would have been lost.

He gently lowered Kenton on the ground and knelt again.

"You might just have saved the world, today. Sleep well, my poor Kenton," said Ariel. "You won't be forgotten."

He got back up again and summoned a charm that created a mirror. Instead of his reflection, the face of his sister Aria appeared.

"So? How bad is it?" she asked, gravely.

"It's not as bad as I feared it to be," said Ariel. "The Sanctuary has been attacked, but it's untouched. One of the Brothers is dead, though."

"I'm sorry, Ariel," said Aria, softly, aware of Ariel's sympathy for the Brotherhood.

"But apparently, Amanio has escaped," said Ariel. "He may be on the run. He will need shelter."

"I don't know many places where he could be safe from _them_," said Aria, sadly. "Have you consulted the Oracles?"

"Of course," he said. "I have a pretty good idea of where he's headed."

"I'm listening," said Aria.

"The oracles said _the fate of the Core shall be decided when the Unicorn bows to the Lion dwelling in the Phoenix's nest,_" said Ariel.

Aria had an ironic smile.

"Still love their animal metaphors, don't they?"

"Apparently," said Ariel. "But, still, it's pretty clear. There aren't so many Phoenix's nests that could offer Amanio a refuge."

Aria shared a meaningful look with her twin.

"Hogwarts?" she said.

"Hogwarts," said Ariel.

* * *

**_Alright, that's it for today... soon, the first chapter will be up and running. Hope you'll enjoy the ride._**


	2. Summer revelations

_**Alright!**_

_**Time to get in the real pace of things, here. Her comes the first chapter of this story, and we rejoin our dear heroes only shortly after they all parted ways in King's Cross.**_

_**So, what has happened in the summer? Well, let's see.**_

* * *

**Summer Revelations**

* * *

"_There is my train," she said, pointing at one line. "Platform Twenty-two."_

_Kenneth followed her to that platform. By the time they reached it, the speaker systems were announcing the train's imminent departure. Kenneth helped Julie to heave her trunk inside her car. The train looked weird to him, very smooth on the outside. The locomotive didn't have any chimney, and no steam at all was going out of it. How this train could even circulate was a mystery to Kenneth. But Julie assured him it was very fast._

_A voice repeated that the train for Paris was about to leave, inviting the passengers to get aboard. Julie turned to Kenneth._

"_Well, see you next term," he said._

"_Yes," said Julie._

_She suddenly seemed to take a decision as one siren was warning the passengers to get in for the last time. Julie stepped up on the first step leading to the car. She hanged from the door frame and leant to him._

_She kissed softly on the lips._

"_See you soon," she whispered, smiling tenderly._

_And she rushed inside the train, as the door was shutting down on its own, leaving Kenneth thunderstruck. He was tied between surprise and pure joy. All he could do was to watch Julie's face appear at the train window. She waved, as the train started. It was really fast, and soon, Julie was out of sight. But Kenneth stood there motionless for a long time._

"_Wow," he finally whispered._

* * *

_Lionheart Hall, August_

* * *

Kenneth dodged a fireball that went to explode against the wall behind him. He didn't leave his opponent out of sight, just stepping away from the possible flames, before to resolutely resume his guard. The next attack came at him in a high arc above him, but he was ready. He blocked it with a quick shield and countered by a lightning bolt. The attack nearly caught his adversary off guard, but it was still blocked and deflected across the training hall. Kenneth didn't wait for the next move and summoned a wave of fire, hurling it at his opponent, who had to summon a shield as the flames engulfed him. Kenneth's flame didn't harm him, but it kept him occupied long enough for Kenneth to aim his next attack at his ankle, trying to trip him.

But his ruse was caught on and the attack was blocked. His adversary retaliated with a blasting spell that caught Kenneth by surprise and send him rolling on the floor, signalling the end of the duel. Kenneth stayed a long moment lying on the wooden floor, staring at the ceiling.

"Damn," he groaned.

"Don't feel bad, son," said Lancelot Lionheart, coming into view, as he towered over his son. "I saw that ankle trick way too often to fall for it now. That's your uncle's favourite, whenever he's sparring with me. Bohor's has tried to slip this one past me for years. I guess he showed it to you, huh?"

"He could have told me you knew about it," grumbled Kenneth, with a wry smile.

His father caught his hand and helped him back up.

"I suppose he hoped that to see you use it against me would be a surprise," said Lancelot. "Or it could simply be his idea of fun. You know Bohor, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," smiled Kenneth.

"Anyway," said Lancelot, putting his large hand on his son's shoulder. "Excellent fight. You're growing more skilful by the day. It's amazing to think you've manifested less than a year ago."

Kenneth took his father's compliment with immense pride.

"Well, that would be Professor Potter's doing," said Kenneth, modestly. "He's been hell bent on observing the inner workings of the Wand Gift, so he's put me through so much practice that I caught on a lot of things just by watching him."

"I can believe that," said Lancelot. "I remember that he was already one hex of a duellist, even when he was sixteen. If I heard right, he's grown even better, by now."

They walked to the bench near the wall of the training room in Kenneth's family manor, to get a glass of water. They had been doing this since Kenneth had returned from Hogwarts. They would spar roughly every two days. Lancelot had managed to obtain a special dispense for Kenneth to be able to practice Magic inside Lionheart Hall, in order to refine his Wand Gift. This was the only privilege a Wandmaster clan allowed themselves, when it came to their gift, because it was a matter of responsibility. Kenneth's talent was no toy, and it needed to be trained constantly. So far, he hadn't been able to defeat his father, which came as no surprise for him. No matter how talented Kenneth could be, Lancelot still had years of experience with the Gift and as an Auror. Without any false pride, Kenneth did seriously believe that Lancelot was among, if not the best duellist in all England. And he was able to hold his ground against him.

Of course, the spells they were using were 'blunted' ones. At no time the fire wave he had just sent at his dad would have truly hurt him. But the reflex and the reactions were essential in fighting with a wand and Lancelot intended to have his son ready to face anything by the time he graduated Hogwarts. It had given Kenneth the chance to spend more time with his father. Lancelot wasn't distant as a parent, but between the time Kenneth spent in Hogwarts and the tight schedule of an Auror of Lancelot's calibre, it was difficult for them to come together. But this summer had seen Lancelot impose to his boss that he needed some time to help his son to train. Even the Auror Heads realized that an untrained Wandmaster wasn't something they'd wish.

So they had bonded more deeply over this summer than ever before. Lancelot had been briefed on the whole events of his school year and he had expressed his pride at Kenneth's actions. Kenneth didn't care for either fortune or fame, but his father's pride was something he craved and cherished.

He caught a curious look from his dad, until Lancelot spoke up.

"So, tell me," he said, with a knowing smile he only had for his son. "This girl. Who is she?"

Kenneth was taken aback by that offhand question, and it took him a few seconds before he could react.

"What girl?" he asked.

"Oh come on, son, I know you," chuckled Lancelot. "You've been acting dreamy all along this summer I can recognize the symptoms. So who is she?"

Kenneth felt like he would protest for a second. Then he remembered that it was his father he was talking to. Lancelot was a lot of things, but he wasn't an idiot. His son wouldn't be able to fool him like he had tried to do with his friends. Kenneth sighed.

"Well," he said. "Her name is Julie."

"Ah, that French girl you rescued, then," noted his dad. "Didn't you say she had a boyfriend? Well, at least, you could say you made a good impression, right?"

Kenneth snorted a little. Lancelot chuckled again, without any mockery.

"Maybe it's the problem," said Kenneth. "I mean, I saved her, but, now, won't she feel obliged to…"

"I doubt it," said Lancelot. "The way you told me about her, she seems to be quite independent. So you saved her. It doesn't mean she'll love you out of the blue. At most, it will make her act friendly if she wasn't already."

Kenneth hoped it was true. That Julie had only given him this kiss to prove her feelings for him, and not out of gratitude, because it would be going against his principles to benefit from gratitude over his gifts.

"Well, given the way you seem to dream about her… have you talked to her about it?" asked his father.

"It's not that easy, you know," said Kenneth, hoping his father wouldn't notice...

"You did," said Lancelot, pointedly. "You did, didn't you?"

"In a way," said Kenneth. "I wrote to her… but I got no reply."

"Oh," said Lancelot. "Well, she may want to respond in person, then. I know that some people won't express their feelings in a letter."

"It's just very complicated," sighed Kenneth.

"Oh, don't I know that," said Lancelot, grinning. "Dealing with love may be the most difficult thing on earth. For us, it's even harder than fighting. I've been through quite complicated times when I met your mother, you know."

"But she loved you," said Kenneth. "You were sure of that."

Lancelot sat down on the bench. Kenneth joined him. Lancelot ruffled his hair, who were free from the ponytail Kenneth was usually wearing every day at school.

"If only I was," he said, smiling. "She was a stubborn one, your mum. We were just friends when she manifested, and I was trying to help her understand. She was convinced my interest in her was only because of her Gift. Of course, I was already at her feet. To be honest, I think I fell in love with her even before I knew she was a Wandmaster. I had to be in my second year."

"So you started dating in school?"

"In our seventh year," said Lancelot, smiling at the memory. "When she was sure that I didn't care about her blood, or her gifts, we went along quite nicely."

Kenneth smiled at the idea of his mom and dad flirting as teenagers. He wasn't sad anymore, when he evoked his mother's image. To think of her raised now happy memories in his mind. That had taken a lot of time to get there. But now he was able to move on, even if he never would forget her.

"It's strange," said Kenneth. "I can't really picture you and Mum dating."

"You think I could picture Father and Mother dating?" said Lancelot, chuckling lightly. "Of course, at that time, it was called 'courting', but still…"

Kenneth joined him in laughter. His grandparents quite fitted the image the Wandmasters had in the public eye: mysterious, with stiff manners, and a deep sense of honour and decorum, although they had a heart of gold. Kenneth had never known his grandfather, one of the numerous casualties of the War against Grindenwald, in which he had been a prominent hero. But Kenneth had seen enough pictures of him to figure what kind of man he was. Dorothea Lionheart, Lancelot's mother, was out of the same mould, and she was quite respected in the family.

"When do we get to meet Granny again?" asked Kenneth.

He was calling her Granny to contradict her manners. She was tolerating this, of course, but Kenneth found that funny.

Lancelot looked a little embarrassed.

"Well, since you're now a full grown Wandmaster, the tradition is that you must finish your studies before to be admitted to family reunions. You're in a phase of transition. Before, you were a kid. After, you'll be a man. And the family mustn't interfere with your maturation as a wizard. You must find your own way."

"What? That means I won't be able to see anyone before I get back to school?"

"That's the tradition," said Lancelot, grinning. "But it's also a tradition to turn the rules."

Kenneth raised his eyebrows.

"I invited Sonia and Troy over for dinner," said Lancelot, getting on his feet, and heading out of the training room. "You see, the _family_ can't meet you, but that's meant as a whole, in an official and formal way, you know, with all the cousins gathered in the same place. What individuals in the family do is their own business."

"Is there any place in the world large enough to house the entire family?" asked Kenneth, smiling, as he was following him.

* * *

Clan Lionheart was one of the most ancient and large wizarding families in England. They were spreading all over the world, from the United States to China, where one cousin had settled himself with some beautiful Chinese witch, named Li. Most of the family lived in Europe, and the core of the Clan still dwelled in England.

Unlike many wizards of this ascendancy, the Lionhearts didn't care much about their blood in terms of prestige. If the Stiller, the Macke, and the Malfoy had been families proud to see their blood go back to the fourteenth century, the Clan Lionheart was making very little about that, even though the line could be traced to a Knight of King Arthur's court, back in Merlin's days. The important for them was the tradition of the Wandmasters: fight for the right cause, and avoid politics. And the whole family was adhering to that code, even if every child born in the Clan wasn't a Wandmaster every generation.

Kenneth's family had suffered many losses, in the course of the 20th century, with the victims of Grindenwald and all the people involved in the two Orders of the Phoenix. But the clan was still strong, and Kenneth knew many of his relatives, however distant, by name.

And among those relatives, Sonia was one of Kenneth's favourite cousins. She was a direct cousin of Lancelot, ten years older than Kenneth. She had been playing with him when he was a baby, and she had been a great help for Lancelot, when his wife had died. Sonia had been a real close friend of Sarah, Kenneth's mother. They had enlisted in the Order of The Phoenix at the same time.

Sonia was now married to an Auror named Troy Jenkins. They were often working together as a team. They were travelling all around the world, in search of Dark Wizards in hiding since the end of the Second War. The couple was always nice and more than ready to drop by Lionheart Hall. And Kenneth was always happy to see them.

Lancelot's revelation about the Clan's tradition did a lot to explain that Kenneth and his Father had basically had the ancestral home all for themselves during the summer. Bohor, who lived with his large family in the Hall on a permanent basis, had taken his whole 'tribe' away on a trip, even taking his old grandmother Gwenever with him. Kenneth usually lived in a little house in London with his Dad, but was used to spend the summer in Lionheart Hall. He had enjoyed the time spent with his father, but to have guests now was a welcome change.

Sonia and Troy showed up at eight, and Kenneth opened the door to face his cousin.

"Oh, Merlin!" exclaimed Sonia. "How did a little rug-rat like you grow up so fast!"

"It's been only two years," said Kenneth, hugging her, warmly. "I guess I just grew up like everyone else."

"And look at that," said Troy, playing with Kenneth's ponytail. "When I heard about your new status, I thought that was a joke."

"We don't usually joke about this, honey," said Sonia, frowning but smiling at the same time. "You can't imagine how proud I was when I heard about your Gift awakening so early," she said to Kenneth.

"I guess I got this from Mum," said Kenneth.

"I bet you did," said Troy. "She has always been ahead of everyone."

Kenneth smiled and led them into the living room where Sonia jumped in Lancelot's arms. They all settled down in the couches of the wooden decorated living room. Sonia and her husband began to exchange news with them, just about anything: the travels they had made, the missions abroad they had been on. Sonia proudly informed Lancelot that she had personally caught one of the last member of the inner Circle of Voldemort that had been at large, a Death Eater called Goyle. His accomplice Crabbe was still out there, but he had escaped her by an inch.

Soon, they adjourned to the dining room and Lancelot offered them a very refined dinner, with the mastery he had always shown. Lancelot was already cooking for his wife, and since she was gone, he had done the same for his son. Kenneth just loved his father's cooking.

At some point, the family was brought up in the conversation.

"We crossed path with Gareth," said Sonia.

"Really?" said Lancelot. "How is he?"

"He seemed to be doing good," said Troy. "But we didn't have the opportunity to chat with him for long. He was on some kind of mission."

"He wasn't very communicative on the subject, so we didn't insist, but is his relationship with his father still that strained?" asked Sonia.

"I'm afraid so," said Lancelot, sombrely. "They haven't spoken in years."

Kenneth sighed. Gareth Lionheart was the son of Lancelot's elder brother Bedevere. He had the Gift, but he hadn't been behaving like the clan was expecting him to. He had started to rebel against his father, and he had finally chosen the life of a wanderer, lending his wand to whoever was able to afford his services. Bedevere had never admitted that his only son was a mercenary.

"That's a shame," said Sonia. "Gareth would do so well if he joined the Aurors."

"He couldn't," said Lancelot. "He never finished his studies."

"Why not the Order of the Phoenix, then?" asked Kenneth. "I heard that Dumbledore and his aides were more interested in recruiting valuable talents than high grades in school."

"Yes, he could have joined Remus Lupin's team," said Sonia.

"But I'm afraid that Gareth simply does not share our views on what should be the duties of a Wandmaster," said Lancelot. "He's never been one to abide by the rules. The code is simply to constraining for him."

"And he chose to turn his back on the family for that?" asked Sonia, sceptical. "I just don't understand that. He was such a good friend when we were kids. We were always together. And now, I only see him once in a while."

"He's just acting like some distant relative to us, too," said Lancelot, sadly.

"Maybe he wants to be away from his family," said Kenneth. "Uncle Bedevere isn't the sweetest of men"

"Don't put the blame on your Uncle, Kenneth," said Sonia. "I'll admit Bedevere is strict, but he's never been harsh or violent. He has a strong sense of ethics. And Gabrielle had always been a loving mother. Gareth is just following his views, in spite of the gap that it creates between us."

Kenneth sighed. That seemed such a waste, according to him. Gareth was a good man, and he had been a magical friend of his own childhood, the great cousin playing with him. He found this very sad to see him grow apart with his own family for a stupid difference of opinions.

"So, Kenneth," said Sonia. "I heard that you've started to establish your own track record. The way they tell it in the Auror office, you've decided to save half the Hogwarts school all by yourself."

"That's nonsense," said Kenneth, grinning. "I was a part of it, but I wasn't alone. The teachers, other students... I mean, Harry Potter and The Entropist were involved."

"Alright, keep the modest stance, that suits you," said Sonia, with a smile. "But about that rescue mission. Kingsley Shacklebolt said you went on your own to save that abducted student."

"Again, I wasn't alone," said Kenneth.

"Is that right?" joked Sonia. "Can you give me a name or do you only try to minimize your actions?"

"Actually I can give out some names," said Kenneth, smiling.

"Go ahead, then," said Sonia.

"Kieran McDougall has created the artefact that we used to go to Julie's rescue. And there were Kalindra Johnson, Terry Longwand and Joel Andrews, joining us. And to be quite honest, the whole rescue idea didn't come from me in the first place. The one who set the whole thing was a Ravenclaw boy. His name is Ian Malcolm."

* * *

It was a hot evening in the Outskirts of London. The sunlight was falling through the windows of the two-story house in Hawthorne Street. You could tell by the sounds outside that the sun was now getting down. The sky was painted in red, pink and blue. The sunsets were always beautiful in summer.

Ian Malcolm was sitting on his bed, looking vaguely through his bedroom's window. He was back in his home after having passed the last two weeks in his friends Terry Longwand's home, in Brighton. These had been cool weeks, and the three of them had a great deal of fun. The three meant Ian, Terry and Joel Andrews, who had escaped the 'horror', according to him, of an entire Muggle summer by escaping two weeks in his wizard friend's home. Joel was a Muggleborn who was more fascinated by the wizarding world than by his own.

It was great to be back home, in his family. Yet Ian had an indistinct feeling of melancholy. He couldn't quite tell what it was. Well, quite honestly, he could, but to admit it was a strange notion for him.

She hadn't written.

"Are you unpacked?" asked his mother, Neve, through the door frame.

"Yes," said Ian, giving a start. "I just finished."

"For once, you lie very poorly, Ian," said his Mum. "You've been up here for two hours since you got back from Terry's. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," said Ian. "It's just that I was thinking of a lot of things."

"You were expecting a letter from Kieran, weren't you?" said his mother.

Ian raised surprised eyes to her.

"That was the first thing you asked when you got back home," said Neve. "You asked if some letter hadn't arrived to the House."

"Well, maybe she was too far to use an owl to find me, so…"

"What's worrying you?" asked Neve.

"Nothing," said Ian. "It's just that it's the first summer where I don't get any news from her. It's weird, isn't it?"

"Well," said Neve. "It will depend on the way she has spent her vacation. Maybe she was unable to write. Did you send an owl to her?"

Ian nodded.

"Yeah, we wrote to her from Terry's and I had sent another letter in July," he said.

"I'm sure she'll give you news soon, Ian," said his mother, smiling reassuringly. "Come on, it's time for dinner."

Ian nodded and followed her mother downstairs to join his Father and his younger brother Ewan at the table of the dining room. Ewan had grown taller during the year, and he was now as tall as Ian, when he was his age.

"So, tomorrow, we will get to Diagon Alley," said John Malcolm, Ian's father. "We must pick up Ian's new books and get the whole of Ewan's things."

Ian suddenly remembered that Ewan was starting his first year in Hogwarts in September. His mood lightened suddenly, forgetting the fact that his best friend, Kieran McDougall, hadn't sent him any letter in two months. The thought of having his brother in the same school as his was great.

"You'll have to show me around the school, Ian," said Ewan.

"You'll have your housemates for that, dear," said Neve patiently. "Ian may be a little busy this year. And you are not even sure to end up in the same house as him."

"Why not?" asked Ewan, acting a little offended.

"Well, given your _profound_ interest for studies, I'm sure you'll be allowed in Ravenclaw," said his mother, sarcasm evident in her tone.

Ewan winced. Each time his brother was trying to teach him something about magic, between his school years, Ewan's attention was quickly distracted by just about anything. And they usually finished the day by a wrestling match on the bed. Match that Ewan usually won, as he was as fickle as an eel.

Ian smiled to his brother.

"Don't worry," he said. "If you don't get to Ravenclaw, I'll have my friends in Gryffindor watch over you."

"How do you know he will be in Gryffindor? There's Hufflepuff… and Slytherin, too," said John Malcolm.

"No way Ewan will be in Hufflepuff or Slytherin," said Ian, pretty sure of himself. "Hufflepuffs are loyal and hard-working. Ewan always denounces me to Mom, and I would rather kill my little brother than seeing him get into Slytherin. So he will be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."

"Well at least, you don't despise Hufflepuffs," said John, who was out of this house.

"Nah," said Ian. "I always had friends there. Puffs are pretty cool. They're always willing to help. But I'm sure Ewan is not fit to get there."

"Well, I guess you must be right," said John, smiling nostalgically. "Too bad," he said. "Seems like your mother gave you too much of herself."

"John!" protested Neve.

"You were the trouble maker at school, honey," said John casually. "I was the prefect."

Ian and Ewan exchanged amused looks. Their parents were always teasing each other like this over anything. It was always fun to watch.

As they were washing up, after the dinner, something suddenly jumped on Ian's shoulder. Ian let out a shriek of pain, as the claws of his pet owl were scratching at his skin. The bird looked pretty upset.

"Merlin, please!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

The owl hooted indignantly, trying to pull Ian to his bedroom.

"You'd better go and see what's wrong, Ian," said Neve. "Or else he won't let us sleep tonight."

"Alright, Mum," said Ian. "Okay, Merlin, I'm coming, stop tearing my shoulder open!"

But there was nothing that could calm Merlin down. Ian followed him to his bedroom. And when he opened the door, he understood what had troubled his owl so much. There was a bird on his perch. But it wasn't an owl. Merlin was usually tolerant to other people's owls. But this bird was a hawk. Ian opened wide eyes, while Merlin was hooting madly, taking him as a witness of the bird's insolence to get inside the room and perch on his home!

The Hawk took off and flew to Ian, making Merlin rush to his perch, where he landed, scowling at the other bird of prey. The hawk dropped something into Ian's hand. Then he flew to the windowsill, where he perched silently, with just a little screech. Ian looked at the parchment that had been dropped in his hand, and recognised the writing style.

It was from Kieran!

Ian forgot completely about the Hawk in his room and opened the letter, beginning to read eagerly.

_Dear Ian,_

_I'm so sorry I couldn't write to you earlier. I couldn't be found by Merlin, so I just summoned your letters from my bedroom when I got back to civilisation. It was so nice of you to write. I hope your vacation went well. How was this stay at Terry's?_

_My parents and I went to South America, to visit the Pre-Columbian sites of Magic. It was fascinating, but we spent most of the time in trekking and camping, so we couldn't stay in touch. Mum cast a spell, so none of the owls sent to me would have to cross the sea to find me. It would have been exhausting for them. I hope you won't be too mad at Merlin if he hadn't brought any answer to your letter. It wasn't his fault._

_I had such a great time there! It's a fascinating place. And I learned so much about Incas' spells that I have now some ideas to try with Professor Flitwick as soon as we're back in Hogwarts. We'll talk about it when we'll meet on the train._

_Right now, we're back in Europe, in a hotel of Seville. We will spend the rest of our trip there. From the hotel, I could get back my mail, and so I thought I'd reply, this time. The bird that carried it is a bird I bought in Spain. His name is Diego and it's a Mystic. It's a bewitched bird of prey who has now the cycles of an owl, and which can carry the same kind of things as them. And it's very clever. If you can, give him some piece of meat, That would be nice of you. He just loves that more than pieces of toasts. He'll wait for your answer._

_I will get back to England the day before we take the train. I already ordered my books for Hogwarts from here. I will meet you there._

_See you soon,_

_Love, _

_Kieran_

"Ian?" said his mother's voice through his door. "What is it?"

Ian opened the door and smiled to his Mum.

"Kieran just wrote back to me. She was in South America, so she couldn't send any letter. Could you get a piece of meat for Diego?"

"Meat?" said Neve, surprised. "Diego?"

Ian nodded to the Mystic, and his mother looked very impressed.

"Will she ever do the same as the others?" she mumbled. "A Hawk, honestly…"

She came back with some meat for the Hawk who shrieked gratefully. Ian wrote quickly an answer to Kieran, saying that he was glad she had a great summer and that he was looking forward to see her on September the first. He attached the letter to the foot of the bird, which flew out the window with a last shriek.

Ian was now feeling better. He had felt quite disappointed by the fact that Kieran hadn't written at all, in the summer. It was a relief to think that she hadn't forgotten about him. And now he was really anxious to see her again. Suddenly, the strangeness of this thought struck him. Why was he feeling this way? It was the first summer he was missing her so bad. That was curious.

Of course, the previous years, there had always been a time where Kieran would have been around, as she was living in the same town as him. She was always dropping by, when she wasn't on a trip. Maybe that was the difference. He hadn't seen her in two months. And he had really missed it.

Then another, stranger thought passed through Ian's mind. Maybe it wasn't the only difference. But the idea that his feelings for Kieran could change was just too weird for Ian to face it. Change to what? Was he falling in love with his best friend? That was too much! But that could be the explanation for his reaction to Terry's constant flirting with Kieran, over the last year.

It hadn't been only worry for Kieran. It could have been jealousy.

_Huho_, thought the young boy.

And now he was here, in the middle of his room, trying to sort out his feelings. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden charge of his little brother who jumped on his back, laughing.

"So, your girlfriend finally wrote to you?" he mocked.

"Get off me!" said Ian, pushing Ewan on the bed. "Kieran is not my girlfriend!"

"Oh, is that right?" grinned Ewan. "When I looked in your eyes when you asked if she had written, you seemed to be expecting some Christmas gift! Ian's in love with Kie-ran, Ian 's love with Kie-ran!" he started to sing, while jumping on the bed.

Ian raised his hand.

"Shut up or I freeze you!"

"Ooh, empty threat, since you still have the trace on you. But… touchy on the subject, Ian!" said Ewan, only laughing. "Ian's in love with Kie-ran!"

"Will you shut up? I'm not!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" said Ewan.

"What?" said Ian. "How on earth, do you want me to prove it?"

"You can go to the ball, this year!" said Ewan. "You just don't go with her!"

"I won't go at all!"

"That wouldn't be a proof," said Ewan, grinning. "If you want to prove you're not in love with her, you must go with someone else. A galleon says you won't be able to resist and you'll show up with Kieran. And beware, Ian, I'll be watching."

The thought of his little brother spying on him was too much. Ian burst into laughing and he jumped on the bed, starting again a wrestling match on the mattress. Soon, he was too much busy trying to catch his brother, to listen seriously to this little voice inside of him, which was telling him that maybe, only maybe, Ewan was right.

* * *

_Merlin, I love this woman_.

That was the only thought that could echo in Alexander Lockenburn's mind, as he was watching his wife Phyllis taking care of Christine, their lovely daughter. Christine was now five months and a half. She was a beautiful baby, who was giving quite a hard time to her parents, with her very short sleeping periods, and explosive temper.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a discreet knock on their apartment's door. Alexander went to open and was surprised to find himself facing Albus Dumbledore. Even if Alexander and his wife had settled in Hogwarts Castle, it was rare to see the Headmaster visit the apartments. They would usually meet in the teachers' lounge or in his office, or at the meals.

"Hello, Alexander," said Dumbledore.

"Hello, Sir. Please, come in," said Alexander.

The old wizard entered the apartment and Alexander led him to a couch. Before he could seat, Dumbledore received a little kiss on the cheek by Phyllis. She had always liked the old man and now she could allow herself to show it. Dumbledore smiled wider.

"I'll make some tea," said Phyllis.

"No, please, don't bother," said Dumbledore. "I can't stay too long. I just got some message, and I thought I had to warn the inhabitants of the Castle."

"What message?" asked Phyllis, sitting on Alexander's armrest. "Something serious?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore, "although I do not yet know to what extent. An old friend of mine, named Walter Amanio, is seeking refuge. His school's security has been apparently compromised at the beginning of the summer. He has a group of young pupils, and he must consider their safety. I offered Hogwarts as a sanctuary for them."

"Do we know the nature of the security breach?" asked Alexander.

"Not precisely," said Dumbledore. "Walter was quite laconic. I think he didn't want his message to be intercepted, which means it could involve enemies. I still accepted to welcome them here for the next term. He's a very trusted friend."

"I see," said Alexander. "Yet it could be a reason for these enemies to turn their attention to Hogwarts."

"Unfortunately, it is a possibility," said Dumbledore. "But Hogwarts has always been more secured than Walter's school, and with the new spells I installed around the grounds after the attack by the Warlocks, I guess they will be safe in here."

"Where are they, now?" asked Alexander.

"They'll join us at the start of term," said Dumbledore. "They're taking the long road to England, to shake off possible pursuers."

"And why do you exactly expect from me?" asked Alexander.

"From us," rectified Phyllis, frowning at her husband.

Dumbledore smiled.

"Well, your powers and skills have proved to be a very important asset in the recent defence of our school. So I would like you to be careful and ready, should the need to defend it again arise, this year."

"You know you can count on me, Sir," said Alexander.

"On us," rectified Phyllis, grinning this time.

"I intended to warn Harry about this," said Dumbledore, standing up.

"He's not home, right now," said Alexander.

"Where is he?" asked Dumbledore.

"I think he went to the Burrow," said Phyllis. "With Ginny. He had some announce to make to someone, regarding the wedding. They should get back tomorrow."

Dumbledore winked at her.

"Then, some tea would be great," he said.

He sat back on the couch.

"So, aside from these guests, how do you foresee this new term?" he asked Alexander.

"Well, the arrival of the twins in the Castle could be a subject of worry, but I can't help but think that, since I dealt with Ian's case for so long, I can manage with those two. I don't see what could really trouble us this year."

* * *

The sun was shining in the bright blue sky over the British country, when Harry Potter apparated near the Burrow, a magically extended cottage near Ottery St Catchpole, hand in hand with Ginevra Weasley, his fiancée. A quick check with all of the young woman's brothers had ensured that not only her parents, Arthur and Molly, were home alone, but that none of said brothers, from Bill down to Ron, had let his mouth run away with it and spoiled the secret of their announce. Ginny certainly didn't want her mother hearing about her engagement from one among the tribe of dorks that were her brothers. Her tone had been deadly enough to ensure that no mistake had been made.

Engagement… That thought kept blowing Harry's mind. He was still wrapping his mind around the notion. Not that he was uncomfortable with it, of course. After all, he had been the one to bring it up. He had proposed in June, but between a trip the Weasleys had taken abroad to visit Charlie, and Hermione's last month of pregnancy, Harry and Ginny had chosen to delay the moment of telling her parents about it, if only to avoid 'stealing Harry's goddaughter's thunder'. But now that little Lily Weasley, his adorable godchild, was born and clearly healthy, Ginny didn't want to delay any longer, if only to avoid the legendary wrath of her mother.

As they headed toward Ginny's old house, Harry could sense her nervousness increase with each step.

"Ginny? Love, are you alright?" he asked.

She had a tense smile.

"I'm just worried about their reaction," she said.

"Well, you've been with me for three years, now," Harry replied, soothingly. "It's not like it will be a shock for them. I mean, we do live together, don't we?"

"Oh, I know," said Ginny. "I get enough remarks about you and me 'living in sin'."

"Do you?" said Harry, surprised.

"Well, they don't bring it up with you, because they don't want to pressure you, but I get a regular earful from Mum, yeah," Ginny smirked.

"Well, they'll be relieved, then," said Harry. "At least we didn't rush into it. I remember clearly your mother telling Ron and Hermione about that, when they got out of Hogwarts. The blush on Hermione's cheek was memorable."

"Well, there's rushing in and there's us. We sure took our sweet time," scoffed Ginny. "What took you so long to ask me, anyway?"

"I was kind of waiting for us to ready for it," said Harry.

"Harry," said Ginny, with a patient sigh. "I've been ready to marry you since the day I met you."

"Sure," said Harry, grinning. "Because marrying at twelve wouldn't have gotten _me_ in trouble."

Laughing, they walked through the back yard, toward the kitchen. As they poked their head through the window, Ginny called.

"Mum! Dad! Anyone home?"

"In the living room, dear!" the voice of Molly Weasley called back.

Harry and Ginny made their way there, and found Arthur and Molly enjoying tea, on the couch. Molly got up and caught both of them into a quick hug. Arthur followed.

"So nice of you to drop by, dears!" said Molly. "What brings you here?"

"Well, actually, there was something we needed to tell you," said Ginny, sitting down, facing her parents, Harry taking his seat right next to her. "We have some news. We couldn't tell you through a letter, while you were at Charlie's, and..."

"Oh, by the way," said Molly. "Did you know Charlie and Corina still don't have settled a date?"

Ginny looked startled by the interruption, and it showed enough for her father to catch the signs.

"Molly, dear," he said. "I think our daughter is trying to tell you something important."

"Oh... er... sorry, love, go on," she said, flushing.

"Er... thanks," Ginny went on. "We didn't want to bother anyone because of Hermione's baby, but we wanted to tell you in person..."

Molly suddenly paled.

"Oh, Merlin! Ginevra Molly Weasley, do not tell me you got yourself pregnant!" she said, under panic.

"What? No!" exclaimed Ginny, outraged.

Arthur had a chuckle and Harry caught something in his eye. It told him that Ginny's dad had a pretty good idea of where this was heading. He managed a weak smile to him, while Ginny pacified her mother.

"I'm sorry, dear," said Molly, after collecting herself. "I didn't mean to imply you're not responsible, nor you, Harry, of course, but you know the kind of trouble that poor Laufey girl got herself into..."

"Mum," said Ginny, firmly. "I am _not_ pregnant."

"It's quite a relief too," Molly went on. "You can't imagine..."

"Mum! Please!" groaned Ginny. "I'm trying to tell you something, here!"

"Oh! Right," mumbled Molly, a little embarrassed by the whole outburst.

Harry smiled.

"Just go ahead, love," he said to Ginny. "Your Mum's anxious enough."

"Right," said Ginny, blushing a little, in a striking echo of her mother's attitude. "So… Harry has proposed to me."

Arthur's smile was enough to tell Harry that he had guessed what it was about. Molly's eyes were rounder than he had ever seen them before. Her look of utter shock mixed with intense emotion, tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes was priceless. Harry gave himself the luxury to smile. Ginny held out her hand to reveal Harry's engagement ring.

"And I said yes, of course," she said.

"As I expected you to," said her father, brightly. 'Well, it's about time you two got to it, indeed!"

He got up and Harry felt the need to do the same, Ginny springing to her feet next to him. Arthur caught his daughter into a gentle hug with a kiss on the forehead. He then dismissed Harry's offered hand and caught him in the same hug, minus the kiss, for which Harry was grateful.

"I should say 'welcome to the family', but that would be a little superfluous, at this point, don't you think, Harry?" he said with a grin and a wink.

Molly was still shell-shocked, apparently. Ginny was starting to look worried for her. Arthur smiled.

"It's quite alright, love," he said. "She reacted the same way when Ron announced that he was marrying Hermione. I have no idea how she can be so observant about the love life of all her children and still get sucker-punched by this kind of news."

He sat back next to his wife and patted her on the shoulder.

"Margaret Maery Prewett Weasley, will you please get up and congratulate your daughter?" he asked sweetly.

Molly seemed to jerk away from her shock and jumped off the couch, before to capture Ginny into a crushing hug, tears flying everywhere.

"My little baby is getting married!" she managed between sobs. "Oh, it's so wonderful, Ginevra!"

Ginny's smile was radiant. Molly only let go of her daughter long enough to catch Harry into an embrace that threatened the very survival of his ribcage.

"I'm so glad that it's you, Harry!" she said. "I knew! I got that feeling you would be the one for my daughter, when I saw the look in your eyes, when you told me about your couple!"

Harry couldn't reply, first due to the lack of oxygen, and mostly because he was deeply touched by her acceptance. Arthur had a laugh.

"Be honest, Molly," he mocked. "You've been secretly selecting flower patterns from the moment you heard that Harry had rescued Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry and Ginny both were aghast at this.

"W... er... what?" Harry blurted out.

"_Mum_!" Ginny was shocked.

This seemed to pull Molly from her emotional state, and she had that knowing smile that would annoy her children so much, on a regular basis.

"A mother feels this kind of things, dear," she said.

"Well, I didn't!" said Ginny, feigning outrage. "If you were so sure about it, why wouldn't say anything? It could have saved me both time and a rather impressive amount of frustration!"

"You two needed to get there on your own, love," she said, with a friendly pat on each of their cheek, which proved once and for all where the legendary Weasley sense of humour took its roots.

* * *

"Well, if it isn't the git who thinks he's good enough for my little sister!" exclaimed Fred as Harry and Ginny entered Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' shop.

The outrageous hat he wore suddenly flew off, blown to ashes. Ginny just blew at the tip of her wand, like a muggle cowboy gun, before to grin widely.

"Anything more to say about my fiancé, O brother of mine?" she asked casually.

"Ah, no, I think I was done, actually, Ginny," said Fred, with a cautious smile.

Ginny walked to hug her brother. Harry joined them and did the same.

"You know you make me doubt my decision of picking you as my best man," he said, with a scowl.

"Finally!" exclaimed Fred. "I've been hoping to escape the chore for weeks."

"Don't overdo it," said Harry. "I can still ask George."

"Yeah, why not!" said George, emerging from the back-room. "I heard best men get to score at weddings."

"And I don't need to score?" said Fred.

"Not if Angie has anything to say about it," countered George. "That is when you get your brains in order and put an end to our suffering by finally ASK HER OUT!"

"You mean it's not done, yet?" said Ginny, astonished. "What the hell are you waiting for?"

"I do not like the turn this conversation is taking," said Fred hauntingly. "What does bring you two around, anyway?"

"Just passing through to say hello. We have a lunch date on the Alley," said Ginny. "Oh, and the engagement is no longer a taboo subject near the parents."

"Well, isn't that a relief," joked Fred. "I mean, I knew I could keep the secret, but that idiot over there is an entire story entirely."

Harry chuckled as George protested loudly. They chatted for a little while before to head back out in Diagon Alley for the real reason of their visit, which was to meet the last 'best man' that Harry wanted to 'recruit'.

"How do you reckon he will react?" asked Ginny.

"I don't know," said Harry. "But I could bet he will be pleased."

"Harry, Ginny! Over here!" called a voice over the crowd, not very far.

He was waving from the table outside a Café. Harry and Ginny joined him and He stood up to greet them warmly.

Remus Lupin had the skin tanned by a trip in Spain. He was beaming at the two of them. Harry was pleased to see him in such a good shape. No matter how much better Remus was faring since his lycanthropy had been cured, he was still working so hard in the Order of the Phoenix that Harry often worried about his health.

"Sorry we're late," said Harry. "We stopped by to say hello to the twins."

"No problem," said Remus. "I've got an Owl from Headquarters about a minor problem. It kept me busy while I was waiting."

As a director of operations of the Order, Remus's opinion was sought by so many people that one could barely see him without an owl flying after him, carrying a message. And he was also one of the most eminent experts on Werewolf cases, given his very particular experience of the problem. So he had been travelling this summer, on a case. But he had been back in England for three days now. Harry had wanted to catch him before he could go into another trip or disappear into his office again.

They settled with him at the table and ordered chocolates for the three of them. They talked about random things for a moment. But Remus had this little smile on his face, who made Harry suspect that he knew that something was going on, which wasn't really surprising, since Remus was far from stupid.

"So, do I finally get some good news from you?" he said.

"Well, you probably know it already, or else you wouldn't have this cunning smile across your face," said Harry, frowning.

Remus opened large innocent eyes. Harry stared at him a little, and then smiled.

"We're engaged," he finally said.

"I was expecting something like that," said Remus, grinning. "Congratulations."

"Can't you just pretend to be surprised for once?" grumbled Ginny.

"Well, as I said to Ron a few months ago, it's my business to be informed. But it doesn't prevent me from being very happy for you two," said Remus. "But you had it coming, honestly."

"Wotcher, Harry!" called a voice from the crowd walking in Diagon Alley. "Hi Ginny, girl, How are you!"

Nymphadora Tonks walked out of the crowd, her hair died in a bright blue fashion, today. She smiled as Harry and Ginny stood up to hug her. She then kissed Remus on the cheek, which Harry found a little curious, since he was her boss. She then settled with them, comfortably.

"I asked Tonks to meet us, as I have things to discuss with her. I thought it would be a good occasion to meet," said Remus, who was a little uncomfortable after the kiss. "I was expecting some good news, so I thought some celebration was in order."

Remus was usually the kindest man and the most discreet friend, even if he was now more happy looking than he had in decades. But today, he wore that unbearable expression of self-satisfaction of the one who had outmanoeuvred his friends. Harry forgot his will to announce it humbly. Remus wanted to play, after all.

"Well, let's see if you expected this one," he said with a smile. "I'd like you to be among my best men."

Remus eyes shot out of his head, and he opened his mouth, completely taken by surprise. His expression was so funny that Tonks burst into laughing.

"You should look at you, Boss," she said, grinning broadly.

"Well… Harry… I… I don't know what to say," said Remus.

"You can start by saying yes," said Ginny, helpfully.

"Well of course!" said Remus, giving a start. "I'm really honoured, Harry. James had done the same for me, when…"

"I know," said Harry. "That's partly why I want you to be on my side when I will marry Ginny."

"Awww, Boss, you're his 'something old'. Isn't that sweet?" cooed Tonks, with a bright grin.

"Tonks," groaned Remus, while Harry and Ginny were chuckling.

"So, who else is in?" asked Tonks.

Remus threw her an accusing look.

"You knew!"

"Of course I knew," said Tonks on the tone of evidence. "Ginny asked me weeks ago. So, apart from me and the dear old branch here, who will be next to the altar?"

"Well, Ron and Hermione, of course," said Harry. "Ron will be on my side and Hermione on Ginny's. Then... Neville, Fred and Bill Weasley, and you. George wanted to be in, but I had to make a choice."

Ginny smiled.

"On my side, there will be Luna, Fleur, Susan Bones and Nymphadora."

"I'm warning you only once, girl," said Tonks, frowning.

"It's not my fault if I just love your name," protested Ginny.

"Anyway, I couldn't refuse that," said Tonks. "I'll make everyone jealous by going to this wedding with a very hot and distinguished man."

"Tonks…" said Lupin, rolling his eyes.

"I'm talking about Neville, Boss," said Tonks.

Remus burst into a light laugh, and Tonks joined him. Harry exchanged long meaningful looks with Ginny. The complicity between Remus and Tonks was kind of strange. Harry was sure that something odd was going on. Could it be that…?

"By the way, how's Neville?" asked Remus. "…Haven't heard from him since his wedding."

"Well, you would have if you were around more often," said Ginny.

Remus shot her a sarcastic smile.

"He's currently completely dotty with his daughter Ambre," said Harry. "He's doing very well in his job in this herbology lab. I heard he's become some reference in his field. And Luna is getting more and more influent in the Quibbler. She seems to try and get it more realistic. I know, I was surprised, myself," he told Remus, when he raise his eyebrows. "They're both fine," he concluded.

"Good," said Remus. "I've always been interested in Neville's fate a little like I was interested in yours. Frank and Alice were good friends of mine, in school."

"Still no change in their state?" asked Tonks, sympathetically.

Both Remus and Harry shook their head, sadly. Thinking of the Longbottoms, tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus, his brother and Bartemius Crouch, was taking him back to days of terror and darkness. The shadow of the Death Eaters and Voldemort came to glide over him again, and with it, the faces of his victims. The Longbottoms, his parents, Sarah Lionheart… Sirius.

He sometimes hoped that there would be a way to erase the horrors of the past and to right the wrongs of Voldemort and his followers. But there were things even a wizard couldn't do.

Remus hadn't seen that Harry was lost in his thoughts.

"When do you plan to do this wedding?" he asked.

"Next summer," said Harry, going out of his reverie. "To be sure to have time to invite everyone and prepare for the whole thing…"

"I'll have to book my whole two months, then," said Remus.

"Great," said Ginny.

"When do you intend to visit Hermione?" Harry asked, back in the conversation with his old friend.

"Did she give birth to her child by now?" asked Remus.

"You sure claim to be informed of everything and you don't know? You really should keep up with this kind of stuff, Boss," said Tonks, haughtily. "You work with her husband, for Merlin's sake."

"I just got back from Spain, Tonks," said Remus. "Besides, Ron is on a leave. So how's the baby?"

"The baby and the mother are both fine," said Harry, smiling broadly.

The thought of Hermione's baby, born two weeks ago, was still a pure joy for him. He remembered him holding his godchild. It was a little thing, so fragile, but at the same time, it was the most beautiful thing he had seen in his life. Well, alright, close second to Ginny, but...

And Hermione had given him a wonderful present, by naming her daughter.

"So?" asked Remus. "Daughter or son?"

"Daughter," said Ginny. "The little wonder is named Lily Minerva Weasley."

"Lily?" asked Remus, in amazement.

Harry smiled.

"I'm her godfather, after all," said Harry. "You imagine a girl named Minerva Harry Weasley?"

"No, I can't," chuckled Remus, smiling.

Harry chuckled. Hermione had been back at Hogwarts Castle for some days. She refused to take a complete break, which Harry found completely amazing. She was working on something. She said it was really important. All the time she wasn't dedicating to her daughter, she was spending it working on the huge book she had retrieved from the Maze of Era. Harry didn't know what she was looking for, but she looked decided. Ron was making sure that she would take the rest she needed, helped in that by her mother-in-law, who was now watching over her granddaughter like she was her own. As the same went for Mrs Granger, Harry wasn't worried at all regarding the sake of either Hermione or Lily.

"A huge party is set for next week end, at the Burrow, both for Lily's birth and our engagement," said Ginny. "I'm sure Mum and Dad would be much pleased to see you."

"I'll be there," promised Remus. "So ready for the next term?" he asked Harry, changing subject.

"You're very well placed to know that you can't ever be ready for a term," said Harry, ironically. "I just hope it will be calmer than last year."

"Yes, if you had to face a dragon every year, that would star to get old," said Tonks, in sympathy.

"I faced only one dragon in my entire career, thank you very much," said Harry. "It's Alexander who took on that one," he added, smiling. "All I did was good old fashion fighting against the Dark Arts. But I guess that we must expect some surprises, again."

"Dumbledore knows how to make a year interesting," said Remus, with philosophy.

"Trouble is that now, students sure know how to do it, too," winced Harry.

"They can't be that bad," said Remus, surprised. "There's nothing that you can't really handle."

"Remus," said Harry patiently. "I have a Chaotician in school, along with a Wandmaster, the daughter of a King of Atlantis, and a genius that will probably outsmart Hermione before she reaches seventeen. And you saw what that bunch has conjured up for for my first year as a teacher. I just can't imagine what they have in store for me, this time around."

* * *

Arthan was kneeling deeply in the darkened room. The Council Chamber was always plunged in darkness. The faces of the members weren't meant to be seen. They were the voices of the Warlocks, not individuals. The only person in the light was the person summoned before the Council. Arthan was kneeling right behind his Mistress, as she was reporting before the Council. On his right, he was resolutely ignoring Einon, his new commander, as he was attending to his Mistress.

"Any sign of them?" asked one of the Elders.

"Not yet," admitted Lilia, High Priestess of the Warlocks. "But I have a lead that could tell us exactly where they are going."

"What kind of lead?" asked one other darkened figures.

"We have informants in the Ministry of England. "It seems Albus Dumbledore has made arrangements for special guests for this term in Hogwarts."

"What of it? I know you have a grudge against the people of Hogwarts, but do not let it cloud your judgment, Lady Lilia," said the same Elder. "You were distinctly told not to move against them again. They are too exposed and we cannot afford open war with the English Ministry or the Order of the Phoenix."

"It's not about a grudge," seethed Lilia. "Albus Dumbledore and Walter Amanio are old friends. They have fought together during the war against Grindelwald. They even thwarted us once, in our attempt to capture the Heir. Hogwarts is a fortress. This could be a likely place for Amanio to seek sanctuary. And wherever he goes, they will be."

"That may be true, but we cannot go about this the same way you went before," objected another Councillor. "We have lost the Maze because of it and a lot of people."

"I didn't plan an attack on the school," said Lilia. "I have something else in mind."

"Go on, Lady Lilia," said the leader of the council. "Explain your plan."

Arthan had a smile as he listened to his Mistress go over the plan she had elaborated. Oh, yes, revenge against Harry Potter would be his after all.

* * *

**_And that's it, for the moment. Next, back to the Hogwarts Express, and we find out what's been keeping Hermione busy, beside her baby!_**


	3. A trip to Hogwarts

_**Hello again! Well, I must say it took me a little while before to be ready to finally post that next bit. Two reasons: one, I wanted to write a little further in the story, to avoid getting stuck as I ended up on 'Warlocks', and two, a little plot bunny found its way in my mind and I had to at least write a little about it, if only to get it to leave my brain! Now, back with my full attention on this story!**_

**_Mandatory author's notes for this chapter: _**

**_First, before to begin the next chapter, after a long thinking process and a fierce debate with myself, I have decided a minor change in ths story. But since I had already uploaded the first chapter, I needed to modify it and update it. So, in order to avoid any confusion, I want to underline right here that Kenneth's cousin's name has been changed from Galaad Lionheart to Gareth Lionheart. The change may appear pointless, but I did so to avoid confusion in a later story that I've planned and for the cohesion of the Lionheart Clan as I see it. Since he appears in the following lines, do not feel surprised to see 'Gareth' instead of 'Galaad' and be reassured that it is no oversight on my part._**

**_Second, this chapter is the first to include the elements I mentioned when publishing the prologue, that came from the quill of Beth AKA "Phoenix-Song", about her view of the Marauders' background. Just thought I'd mention it. I'll detail what these elements were after the chapter is done._**

* * *

**A trip to Hogwarts, and nothing less than a miracle!**

* * *

It was a rainy day. The first of September. The sky was a darkened grey, and water was pouring endlessly over London. Fortunately, King's Cross Station was sheltered from the rain. Kenneth was now pacing Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He was waiting to be allowed to get on the train.

Today he was going back to school. His sixth year. He would start to prepare for his final exams, the NEWTs, which would take place in his seventh and final year. His OWLs results had arrived during the summer. He had been relieved by the fact he had done rather well in his exams. He had even managed an E in potions, and he still had a chance to get to the NEWT class of Severus Snape. Not that he liked Potions at all, but this was a compulsory subject to follow, if he wanted to become an Auror.

Of course, some may think that Kenneth was willing to become an Auror because of the career of both his parents. But the fact was that Kenneth really wanted to be a protector of order and the Wizarding World. This was some kind of urge inside of him, like something pulling him toward this career. One could have called this a calling, if that hadn't been a pompous way of saying it.

Kenneth looked around. There weren't much people on the platform, so far. Kenneth was waiting for his friends to show up. No, he wasn't, to be honest. He waited for someone else. He was waiting for Julie. He was hoping to see her alone before they would be surrounded by eavesdroppers. A small hope that was ruined by the next sound he heard.

"Hey, Lionheart!" called a girl's voice behind him.

He turned to see a tall, black girl, walking to him. She was grinning broadly. She was his best friend, Kalindra Johnson, from the Gryffindor sixth year, too. Kenneth sighed a little but smiled to his friend. She hugged him warmly. She was a very demonstrative witch and he was used to her hugs, though he wasn't used to those by anyone else. Kenneth didn't mind that from her, as he knew quite well what she could feel for him, without any ambiguity. It was comforting to have such a simple relationship with her.

"How was that summer?" she asked.

"Weird," said Kenneth. "I had a lot to think about."

"About Who-I-Think?" teased Kalindra.

"Well, yes," said Kenneth, sighing. "But not only. I had to think of my future. You know, now that I've come into my legacy, I wondered what to do with it."

"And?"

"Well, I got enough OWLs to get into all the NEWTs class I need to become an Auror. So I guess I'll just have to work on that, and my path is clear after that."

"Another Auror in your family?" asked Kalindra, with a chuckle. "Don't you think there has been quite enough of that?"

Clan Lionheart had always had a grand tradition of Aurors among them, which made total sense, given the gifts they shared. Kalindra was aware of that, being a frequent guest at Lionheart Hall. This summer, though, she had been abroad, and couldn't have visited as much as usual.

"I think they will endure one more," said Kenneth. "How about your OWLs?"

"I got seven of them," said Kalindra proudly. "I screwed up my divination test."

"I told you not to take the subject in the first place," said Kenneth, with sympathy.

"Well, more accurately, I remember you telling me that I would fail in Divination, that it was my fate. You should have taken it and done this prediction to Marchbanks. You would have gotten an O."

They both laughed at that. Kalindra didn't care too much for Divination. She only had taken it because she lacked one subject. It had also been a way to find herself in the same study group as Rob Drakefang. Since she hadn't asked him out yet, it had been quite pointless, on the whole. Kenneth did not expect her to go on with that.

"So, the other subjects?" asked Kenneth.

"I got an O in Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Transfiguration. I guess I can go on with McGonagall and see if I can succeed in becoming an Animagus," said Kalindra.

This had been her dream for a long time, now.

"That's great, Kallie," said Kenneth, smiling.

"So you had the NEWTs requirements for aurors?" said Kalindra. "So the 'wand subjects', huh? Transfiguration, Charms, and Defence against the Dark Arts?"

Kenneth nodded. His father Lancelot had been quite proud that he had achieved three Os in those. He had said that it was logical but that it was also telling a lot on the width of his gifts with the Wand.

"I got an E in Potions. Since Snape had to lower a little his standards, I think I'll be in," he said. "And I got also an E in Astronomy and Arithmancy. So I got six OWLs over E and I guess I can get in enough NEWTs to have a chance of becoming an Auror. I got eight OWLs on the whole. Dad was pleased."

"I bet he was," said the voice of Jennifer Windhill, who walked to them. "That's an impressive result," she added with a smile.

"Thanks," said Kenneth. "I guess you did better, didn't you?"

"Only by one," said Jennifer. "I managed an A in Divination," she said rolling her eyes. "I succeeded in telling her true age to Professor Marchbanks, so I guess she thought I was at least lucky enough…"

"I got a P in Divination," said Kalindra, imitating Jennifer's expression. "I guess she thought I was doomed from the start."

"Honestly, Kalindra, I wouldn't bother too much about your Divination," said Mandy Williams, who joined them, walking with Rob Drakefang. "I even managed a T in there. Tofty said I should better never give any advice on the future in my whole life."

"That's an awful thing to say," said Jennifer, shocked.

"I'm not sure," said Mandy, laughing. "He was laughing like mad when he told me this. And I was ready to bang my head on the table."

She had a light, aerial laugh. It contrasted somehow with her outlook. She had short, black hair, a little untidy, but quite impressive. And she had three rings in her left ear, and two in the right. She had thick lines of black makeup around her eyes, which made her look like a gothic, according to Rob, who was Muggle born. Kalindra greeted Mandy by jumping to her neck. Then, she kissed Rob on the cheek, which surprised everyone, and Rob in the first place. Kenneth hid a smile behind his hand. Kalindra of course noticed it and threw him a chilling look, as if to dare him to speak up, which only made him laugh.

There was a slight whistling sound, who warned the people waiting on the platform that they could get on the train. Kenneth's friends all had parted from their parents after they had arrived in King's Cross, so they were ready to settle in a compartment. Kenneth's father had walked him early in the station, because he had an important meeting in the morning, back at the Auror offices. So Kenneth didn't need to wait.

But as they were heading for the train, a voice called after Kenneth.

"Well, look who is here! Isn't that the little lion?" it asked.

Kenneth turned on his heels, and faced the smiling tall, elegant man who was walking to him, across the platform. He was wearing scarlet robes, as he often did. He was walking confidently to him. He had a ponytail just like Kenneth. Kenneth's smile grew wider when he recognized him for sure. It was a great surprise to meet him down here!

"Gareth?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was in Diagon Alley, and I remembered 'September the first, around 11' and I figured you'd be here catching the good ole' Hogwarts Express. I decided to show up. Glad to see me?"

"Hell, yeah!" exclaimed Kenneth, hugging him. "Come on, you'll meet my friends."

He tucked him toward his group of sixth years. Mandy arranged her hair, smiling shyly. Kenneth smiled. Gareth had always had his effect on girls. Kalindra was trying to hide it, because she was standing next to Rob. Jennifer was doing her best to seem only slightly interested, but she failed miserably.

"Alright, people, let me introduce you to Gareth Lionheart, my cousin," he said.

"So, these are the friends of the little lion?" asked Gareth, pleasantly. "I'm glad to meet you all. Hey, what if we get on this train and settle somewhere you can tell me all about my cousin in school."

"You're getting on the train? But you're not allowed in Hogwarts," said Kenneth.

"Who will know about it?" asked Gareth. "If anyone spots me on the train, I can disapparate at once. The Hogsmeade station isn't in the range of the anti-disapparation spell of the Hogwarts Grounds. Don't tell me you've never done things that were forbidden, Kenny!"

"Please, Gareth, spare me with the 'Kenny'," wept Kenneth, making all his friends laugh.

They got on the train in a very cheerful mood. As Gareth was following Mandy closely, Kenneth spotted someone who was getting on, at another door.

It was a young girl, with chestnut hair. Kenneth waved at her, and she waved back, smiling friendly. It was Kieran McDougall. She was always among the first on the train every year. Kenneth wondered where Ian was. He usually was in the station early, too.

* * *

Ian ran through the barrier and hurried to the train, his father right behind him. Ewan and his mother followed, pushing Ewan's trolley, on the top of which a cage was swaying a little. The Owl that was in it was hooting wildly in protest of the treatment it was given on this mad trolley.

"Come on! We'll miss it!" exclaimed Ewan.

"Hey!" Ian shot back. "I'm not the one who overslept, okay?"

"Ian, that's enough," said Neve, pushing her son's trolley. "John, can you take care of the trunks with Ewan? We'll get the Owls inside, with Ian."

"Alright," said John. "Better get the kids in right after that. They'll be able to manage on their own."

Neve nodded. John smiled.

"Have a good term, Ian," he said, while Neve was hugging Ewan. They parted to the opposite ends of the train.

Neve and Ian put the cages of Merlin and Whirlwind, Ewan's new owl, up in the dedicated car of the train. Then she hugged her son and he rushed to get aboard. Just in time! The doors closed right behind him! He only had the time to turn and wave at his mother, before the Hogwarts Express started to move. She was soon out of sight. Ian suddenly felt back in the Hogwarts' mood. He was back in school. This idea was thrilling.

He headed to the compartment where he would find his friends, still trying to catch his breath from his rushed boarding. He didn't need to find his brother. Ewan would manage on his own just fine. He had a way with people that Ian had always admired for a kid. If Ewan ever needed to find him, He wouldn't have too much trouble.

"Hey, Ian," called the familiar voice of Kenneth Lionheart, from the compartment Ian was quickly walking by.

Ian stopped and passed his head through the door, smiling in spite of his panting. Kenneth was with some friends of his. Ian recognized Will Tyler, Jennifer Windhill, Rob Drakefang, Kalindra Johnson and Mandy Williams.

"Hi," he said.

"What's your rush?" asked the Gryffindor sixth year, smiling.

"Late," panted Ian. "Almost missed the train."

"That happens often on the first day of school," said a man who was sitting across Kenneth.

Ian didn't know him. He was far older than anyone in the compartment. He was dressed in elegant scarlet robes and his hair was tied the exact same way as Kenneth's.

"Ian, this is Gareth, my cousin," said Kenneth. "Gareth, Ian Malcolm, the apprentice of Alexander Lockenburn."

"Impressive," said the Wandmaster, shaking hands with Ian. "Heard about your Mentor from a few acquaintances abroad. He's got a fearsome reputation, that one."

"Yeah, well, Alexander isn't as bad as they say," grinned Ian. "Besides, Kenneth, 'Apprentice' is quite a mouthful, isn't it?"

"And he's modest," said Gareth, grinning. "Is that the boy who was with you when you saved that girl?"

"Among others," said Kenneth, wincing. "I see you heard about that."

"Who hasn't?" mocked Gareth. "I still have some contacts within the Order of the Phoenix. And the guys from the family I saw over the summer couldn't speak about anything else! Even the old Uncle Elan… the old coot says you're the greatest matter of pride since Percival."

"Aw, Come on," said Kenneth, impatiently. "Grandpa has fought Grindenwald. I did nothing of the sort."

"I said 'since'," insisted Gareth, grinning. "You're the youngest Wandmaster of our bloodline in centuries, so I guess they make a bigger fuss about it, because of the age thing."

"Why do you sound annoyed, Kenneth?" asked Jennifer. "It's not like you have anything to be ashamed of. You saved Julie's life."

"It was normal," said Kenneth. "I don't think you can understand."

"Oh yes, they can, if you take the time to explain," said Gareth. "But the clan keeps their ethics in suh high regard that they tend to be mysterious about it. The family has a tradition of boy scouts you can't imagine," explained the others. "And of course, Lancelot has raised modesty to some kind of religion. For him, we shouldn't boast about anything."

"Still, it was really brave," said Rob.

"Well, I don't like to be praised for that. In my position, anyone would have done the same. Ian can understand what I mean, Can't you, Ian?" said Kenneth.

Ian laughed lightly. He had struggled with the 'pride' of his mother the whole summer. Neve Malcolm had gone through some kind of emotional roller-coaster over the summer months, and so as a result, Ian had gotten both severe telling-offs and warm praise from her. At some point, she was so impressed that she had even said she would take him to her job, to introduce him to her friends. Ian had been so terrified by the prospect that his Dad had had to put a stop to it.

"Well," said Ian to Gareth. "It was nice to meet you. I need to find my friends. In case my brother would be looking for me."

"Your brother comes in Hogwarts?" asked Will.

Ian nodded.

"I can tell you that he's been beside himself the whole summer with the thought," he confirmed.

"I can't blame him," said Jennifer, smiling. "I was pretty excited myself."

"You've been excited once in your life?" exclaimed Will. "I thought it would have been unsuitable for a lady like you."

"Oh, shut up, William," said Jennifer, rolling her eyes.

Ian laughed with the others and bid them good bye. He left the compartment, and headed to the head of the train. He knew where to find Kieran and the others. They had been using the same compartment since the beginning of their first year. Kieran was always one of the firsts to get on the train, so she was able to save her friends some seats.

He reached the door, which had lowered stores. He didn't bother to knock. He just opened it, and walked in the compartment, only to receive a black pointed hat right in the face. Ian prevented it to fall on the floor, smiling.

"You're late," said the voice of Kieran.

She had done the same last year. It was a strange, yet pleasant feeling to find himself in the exact same position.

"Not my fault, dear Lady," he said, handing back the hat with a gracious bow. "How was your last week?" he asked Joel Andrews.

"Cool," said Joel, smiling broadly. "My parents felt compelled to prepare something special after my weeks in the Magical house."

Terry Longwand laughed, while shaking hands with Ian. Ian settled beside Kieran, and he felt suddenly better. He was back!

"So, what kept you?" asked Kieran.

"Ewan overslept," said Ian. "He's been unbearable the whole last week, about getting his new wand, about going to school, about the Castle, and everything… and the day he's actually supposed to go to Hogwarts, he can't wake up. Honestly…"

"He's young," said Terry, wisely.

"Oh, come on, Longwand," objected Ian, frowning. "You must be three years older than him, and you act as if you were three years _younger_ than him."

"That's Merlin's truth," said a girl voice at the door.

Diana Jones-Stickley and Gina Ribizzi were standing on the threshold of the compartment. They were both grinning widely.

"Will you grow up some day?" asked Gina.

"What a tragedy that would be," Said Terry.

Ian's grin turned ironic when Gina sat beside Joel, with a strange resolution in her eye. Ian could tell that she was finally ready to make her move, this year. That was promising for the year to come. He succeeded in not laughing at his friend. But Kieran saw that he had a curious look on his face.

"What is it, Ian?" she asked.

"Too long to explain, dear," he said, on a mocking tone.

"Right," said Terry. "This year, they will need a new Seeker in Gryffindor. I'm in for the try-outs. Maybe I'll be able to beat you after all," he told Gina and Joel, who were both in the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

"We'll see," said Gina, on a defying tone. "Joel is the best Chaser we had in a long time."

Joel blushed a little at the implied compliment. He was nervous at the thought of being complimented by a girl, especially a girl like Gina, which he liked a lot. Ian found his nervousness amusing. Joel had received, at the end of last year, an anonymous letter from an admirer in the Ravenclaw Tower. It had caused him a great deal of panic. Ian knew all about the letter, since he had been the one to drop it on Joel's bed, at Gina's desperate request. So Ian was the most aware of the situation, and the first to laugh.

"I heard a crazy rumour," said Diana, changing the subject. "I heard Professor Potter is engaged to Miss Weasley."

"Wow," said Gina, really excited by the thought. "Maybe they will throw a party in the school."

"Maybe," said Kieran, calmly. "I wonder what he can do on a day like this," she said, looking through the train window.

Ian wondered for a moment what she meant. Then he understood. He had always seen the teachers on the start- of-term feast, but what could they be doing the rest of this day? Surely they weren't waiting for the students in the Castle all day long, like puppets waiting on a rack for the show to begin. They had their lives outside the School. Ian agreed with Kieran. It would be interesting to know what their teachers could be up to on the first day of the term.

* * *

"You do you realise that we should be at Hogwarts, right now, don't you?" asked Harry, trying to keep up with Hermione Granger-Weasley, who was walking quite fast, for someone who had given birth to a child only three weeks before.

"We mustn't be late," said Hermione.

They were striding along the corridors of the St Mungo's hospital for Wizards. Harry pushed back the feeling of uneasiness he always got whenever he came here. He looked at his best friend Ron Weasley, who was walking beside him, also trying to keep up with his wife.

"What is it all about, Hon?" Ron asked.

"You'll see," said Hermione.

"Is it about this thing you worked on whole summer?" Ron asked. "You seemed pretty excited about this."

"Yes," said Hermione. "That's exactly that. Now come on. We got to meet him at noon."

"Him?" asked Harry.

As they emerged in a Hall, Hermione still didn't bother to answer. They then saw someone standing next to the counter of the Hospital. Harry knew him at once. Aside from Ron and Hermione, he didn't have a dearest friend in the world.

"Neville," called Hermione, without slowing her pace.

Neville Longbottom turned to them and smiled, a little weakly, maybe, but it was still a smile. If anyone beside Harry had a reason to feel down in St Mungo's, it had to be Neville. It was a reminder for him, never to forget the tragic fate of his parents. Harry wondered why Hermione had asked Neville to meet the three of them in St Mungo's. this was unusually inconsiderate of her.

"Hello," said Neville, when they joined him.

He shook hands with Harry and Ron, and hugged Hermione.

"Sorry," he said. "But Luna couldn't make it. Ambre is a little sick."

"I hope it'll be alright," said Harry.

"No problem," said Neville. "It's nothing bad."

"You're here," said Hermione. "That's the most important. I've got something to show you."

She then tucked them to the elevators. Harry was beginning to worry. Hermione had that look, the one she usually wore when she expected something huge to happen. Neville looked suspiciously at Hermione, while she was pushing the button leading to the fourth floor, the one for the Spell Damage. His face closed somewhat a little more. Hermione noticed it, and smiled reassuringly.

"Neville," she said, "I must ask you to trust me, please."

"Alright," said Neville, sadly.

Harry suddenly remembered something about what Hermione had done over the summer. She had been working on the huge leather bound book she had brought back from the Maze of Era. The rituals in there were very powerful ones. The thought of the effects of these rituals led Harry to another conclusion. He had seen the result of one of the rituals up close and personal…

"You translated the book," he said suddenly.

Hermione turned and beamed at him. She nodded excitedly.

"They've tried the ritual just hours ago," she said. "I got a warning from them."

She led them to the Spell Damage Ward. Neville grew darker with each step they were taking, but Harry began to suspect that something incredible may be about to happen. It was mad to think that they could…

"Here we are," said Hermione.

They were in the Ward that Harry and Neville knew far too well. Neville for having visited it for years, and Harry for having been stayed there right his fight against Voldemort. He had been touched by so many curses that he had almost died. But just as incredible as the fact that he had survived, he was now sure that something miraculous was about to happen.

The Head Nurse saw them enter and she nodded to Hermione. Then she recognized Neville. Her face was suddenly enlightened by a smile. She hurried herself to the Ward were Neville's parents were kept in care.

"Mrs Longbottom, you have a visitor," she said, brightly.

Neville turned to Hermione, and she nodded encouragingly. Slowly, he walked to the curtain separating his mother's ward from the others. Harry followed him.

"Hi, Mum," said Neville, sadly, as usual.

Harry had come here once or twice with him, and the reaction to this greeting had always been the same. But this time, for a wonderful moment, there was something different.

"_Neville_?" said a weak voice, almost a whisper.

Neville's head shot upright, as his eyes were popping out of his head. Harry looked at the bed. Sitting there, her fragile figure buried in pillows, was Alice Longbottom. But this time, her eyes looked different. They were lucid! They knew that someone was there!

"Mum?" Neville asked weakly, making three steps toward his mother, tears in his eyes.

"Is that you, Neville?" Alice asked.

"Yes, it's him, Mrs Longbottom," said the Head Nurse. "He's been visiting you very often during these years."

Alice's eyes suddenly filled with tears. Neville stumbled on the left side of the bed, and he took her hand, as gently as he could. But he couldn't stand it very long. He suddenly stood up and took his mother in his arms, fiercely hugging her against him. They stayed like that a long time, Neville crying on her shoulder. Alice was clearly enjoying every second of this contact.

"You're back!" Neville sobbed.

"Has it been so long?" asked Alice, still crying.

"I'm afraid so, Mrs Longbottom," said Hermione, who had also tears in her eyes. "We only found the cure a few days ago."

"You're back!" exulted Neville, still hugging his mother.

"Oh, my goodness, Neville, you're so grown up!" Alice said, moved by the strength of his arms. "And handsome," she added with a smile, caressing his cheek, as he was letting go of her. "You look so much like your Dad."

She then remembered something.

"Frank! Where's Frank?" she asked urgently.

Hermione looked at the Nurse, who smiled and nodded.

"He's currently following the same ritual as you, Ma'am," she said. "Soon, he'll join you back in here, and we expect him to have recovered as well."

"That's brilliant," said Ron, squeezing Hermione's shoulder. "How did you pull that one off?"

"I only translated the ritual," said Hermione. "When I brought it to them, the top Healers of this place deduced from the effect it had on Waltz that it was kept voluntarily incomplete. That's why Waltz was only partly cured from his madness. The warlocks used that ritual as a way to turn madmen into slaves. Once the correction in the ritual was done, we used it on Neville's Mum."

Neville stood suddenly up, and hugged Hermione wildly, still sobbing.

"I owe you so much, Hermione," he said. "Thank you!"

"I couldn't do less, for one of the best men at my wedding," she said, smiling brightly. "Your parents' name was the first to come to mind. I mean, they suffered the exact same fate as Waltz, so..."

"Neville? Who are these people?" asked Alice, weakly.

"These are my friends," said Neville, sitting back to her bedside. "This is Hermione Granger-Weasley, her husband Ron Weasley, and…"

"James?" asked Alice, looking straight at Harry. "That's… impossible."

"No, Mum, this is Harry Potter," said Neville.

"I'm James' son," said Harry. "It's great to get to see you alright, Mrs Longbottom."

"Little Harry?" said Alice, in amazement. "It's unbelievable how much you look like your dad."

"You knew Harry's Dad?" asked Neville.

"He was one of my best friends," said Alice. "I was maid of honour to his wedding with Lily. I'm so glad to see you okay, Harry. Frank and I were so worried about you, after your parents died. But how long has it been? Healers say we've been tortured into insanity. How long did we stay like this?"

"More than twenty years," said Harry, seriously.

"Twenty years… Voldemort!" began Alice, raising suddenly terrorized eyes. "These people… They wanted to know where he was. They believed he was still alive. Was it true?"

"It _was_ true," said Hermione. "But now he's gone, now."

"Thank Merlin!" sighed Alice. "Who did this to us?"

"Four Death Eaters. They had been caught and sent to Azkaban. They broke free when Voldemort rose for a second time. They all have been killed before or during the Second War."

"Who were they?" asked Alice, darkly.

"Bartemius Crouch, Jr," said Harry, putting a lot of care into staying detached. "He received the Dementor's kiss shortly after Voldemort returned. There was also Rastaban Lestrange. Neville had to kill him during the War."

"To kill? When did this war take place?"

"During our last two years in Hogwarts," said Neville, coolly.

He had gone through a long struggle with his own conscience after the death of Lestrange. Now he had resolved his conflict and he was speaking more easily about it.

"The other two were the leaders of the group, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange," said Harry. "They both died with Voldemort."

"Bellatrix," said Alice, very darkly. "I knew she hated me… It was old history between us. So she died? And what about the Traitor? What happened to Sirius?"

"Sirius Black?" asked Neville. "He was no traitor!"

Harry mentally thanked Neville for his protest.

"What are you talking about?" said Alice. "He was the Potters' Secret Keeper. It's because of him Voldemort found them."

"No, it wasn't," said Harry. "He and my Dad tried a bluff. Wormtail was their Secret Keeper, while Sirius would act as a decoy. But Wormtail was already in Voldemort's fold. He sold my parents to him. Then he faked his own death. Sirius had been cleared of all charges, after… after his death."

"He is dead?" repeated Alice.

Harry nodded sadly.

"Bellatrix killed him," he said.

"What about the others?" asked Alice. "Remus, Amelia…"

"Remus is fine," said Harry. "He's a top leader of the Order of the Phoenix. Amelia… do you refer to Amelia Bones?"

Alice nodded.

"Well she's working with the Ministry of Magic, in the Justice department. Last I heard, she was fine," said Hermione. "Susan said she had dinner with her last week, so…"

Alice sighed in relief.

"So many people dead," she then said. "How long did this war last?"

"The Second War lasted two years," said Hermione. "Once the return of Voldemort was uncovered, hell broke loose in the Country, and the rest of the world. There have been fights as far as Mongolia," she added, referring to Alexander's showdown with Morgenstein in front of the Chaos Rift. "Finally, Voldemort tried to open a gate to more power. And Harry stepped in to face him and defeat him for good."

"The Prophecy…" whispered Alice. "So Voldemort died?"

"He disappeared in the Dark Well," said Harry. "His soul and body were destroyed beyond recovery."

He shook away the shiver the memory always caused in his spine. Alice exchanged with him a meaningful look.

"You must have faced so much…" she said. "And so have you, my darling," she told Neville, who shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anymore, now that you're back," said Neville. "You'll come home with me. You'll meet Luna, and Ambre... And Dad will be here too. All will get better from now on."

He sounded as he wanted to convince himself of that. He refused to let go of his mother's hand, just as if he was afraid that she would fade away, like some dream. Alice took him again in her arms, tenderly. Harry didn't try to hold back the tears in his eye. The Longbottoms' state had been a constant wound in Neville's heart. To see it healed now was something extraordinary.

As Alice was asking her son to tell her about this 'Luna' he had mentioned, and while Neville was explaining that she was, in fact, a grandmother, now, Harry took Hermione's shoulder under his arm and held her tight. Ron was smiling.

"That was a really good shot, Mione," Harry said.

Hermione had always been modest, when it came to serious matters. But it wasn't showing off at all when she answered.

"I know," she said between tears.

* * *

"Did they say where they were going?" asked Alexander.

"I think they told Albus that they would get to St Mungo's, for a private matter," said Minerva McGonagall, who was walking beside him on the lake shores. The sun was shining over London.

"How come we have such a beautiful weather?" asked Alexander. "I got word from my Dad, through our fireplace. He told me that it was raining over London and the whole Country. Yet there isn't a cloud over here."

"Well, sometimes, this place decides of the weather over itself," said McGonagall, nodding toward the Castle, with something like a patient smile. Fortunately, it goes unnoticed by the Muggles."

"You're telling me that the Castle thinks?" said Alexander.

"Well, more or less," said Minerva. "The founders of this school built the Castle, but they used strange Magic to do it. It seems that it has brought some life in the Castle. Or else, how do you explain that the staircases move on their own will?"

"Well, I thought that there was some Cycle," said Alexander.

"Some thought like this before," said Minerva. "They tried to figure out a pattern in the cycle. It failed."

"Wow," said Alexander.

"How reassuring it is to be your age and to be still amazed by mysteries of our world," said Minerva. "Some wizards have lost this ability."

"That's the only reason I would have liked to be born in a Muggle family," said Alexander, "to discover this world with fresh new eyes."

"An interesting thought," said Minerva. "Anyway, I, for my part, am most fascinated by the prospect of two new students for you."

"Yes," said Alexander. "The Odinson twins seem to be quite a handful. From the report I got from Sweden, I wouldn't say they reach the degree of power of Ian, but they're promising. Besides, I don't think I will ever see a student like Ian in my entire life," he added.

"Why is that?" asked Minerva.

"You can't feel this kind of things," said Alexander, "but that he has reached his full rate of growth, Ian's power will reach heights that we couldn't imagine when he came here in first year. I shiver at the thought of such a power into evil hands. I think that once he will have gone through his studies, Ian will simply be among the most powerful wizards in history. He could give Dumbledore quite a run for his money, and make Voldemort look like a pathetic show-off."

"You can't be serious," said Minerva.

"I am," said Alexander. "So far, Ian has only shown a part of his potential. He will soon be able of great things. But I hope that he will stick to his current path."

"Which is?" Minerva urged him to go on.

"Ian has only ever used his Chaos Magic for exceptional cases, just as I did," Alexander explained. "As long as he doesn't rely on it all the time, I think he will be safe. Power is intoxicating. Imagine what a power like Ian's could do to him."

"I refuse to think that Mister Malcolm could turn so bad," said Minerva.

"Ian has a good heart, so I'm not too worried," said Alexander. "But we can't allow ourselves to be careless with this. And the same will go for these twins. They will manipulate a high Power, and thus they will have to be watched."

"What is it with twins anyway?" asked Minerva. "I can't understand Why all the twins that I meet are so special."

"I studied the question once," said Alexander. "A crazy thought regarding Fred and George Weasley. It happens that twins are already uncommon in the Muggle world. That tends to set them a little apart. Now in the Wizarding world, they are even rarer, so Magical twins often seem to share some special ability, power, or fate."

"What do you mean?" asked Minerva.

"Well, let's take some examples," said Alexander. "Castor and Pollux were both powerful enchanters, back in ancient Greece. Lionel and Bohor of Gannes were two knights, one said to be impervious to Magic and the other to be gifted in the secret arts so much that he was the scout leading the way in the Quest for the Grail. More recently, you have Fred and George Weasley, who seem to be able to sneak in anyplace, and a re genious invntors of prnaking spells. Then we have the Patil twins. Padma and Parvati have a potential in Sight that is rare, even if Parvati chose to ignore it. I hear Padma has already filed in a few Prophecies for the Ministry. Now, the Odinson twins are gifted with Chaos Magic. And if you add to this the Entwistle twins, whatever goal they're after, that makes a pretty impressive list. The facts are here. Twins in our world are bound to stand apart."

"An interesting theory," said Minerva.

"It is, isn't it?" said Alexander winking.

Minerva chuckled lightly, a thing which she was doing quite rarely.

_Nice going, Lockenburn,_ thought Alexander. _You still manage to make your mentor laugh._

"So, what sign did we get of their power?" she asked, going back to the subject of the new arrivals.

"Well, when they were three, they were rocking their own bed to sleep," said Alexander. "That means with a levitation spell. And recently, they disintegrated rocks that were falling on them from a cliff, without a wand in sight."

"I see," said Minerva. "So you think their power could be influenced by the fact they're twins?"

"I have no idea," said Alexander. "We'll have to study the question."

* * *

"The question is quite clear and simple," said Gareth. "I don't see what you don't understand in it?"

"Oh, I understand just fine," said Kenneth. "I simply won't answer."

"It's not fair," said Kalindra. "How can we tease you about anything if you don't give us any dirt?"

"That's kind of the point, there, Kallie," said Kenneth, grinning.

They were alone in the compartment. Only the three of them. Mandy, Jennifer, Rob and Will had spread in the train to find other friends. Gareth had brought up the subject of girls in Hogwarts. And Kenneth had done his best to dodge embarrassing and complex questions.

"Now, back on you, young missy, I found that you looked quite interested in Master Drakefang," said Gareth to Kalindra, who blushed furiously.

"Okay, I'll shut up," she said, annoyed to have been made.

The three of them laughed at that. They went on with the chatting, but on another subject. At some point, Mandy walked back into the compartment.

"Hide me," she said. "That guy who went with me to the Yule Ball last year. He's trying to ask me out!"

"What do you complain about?" asked Kalindra. "He's cute!"

"He's boring to death," said Mandy, with a dark look. "Oh, in other news, I finally found Julie," she said casually.

"Where was she?" asked Kalindra, as Kenneth was rising his eyes suddenly.

"She's stuck with these Ravenclaw girls, you know, Gillian Crawley and the others. They're nice," she explained to Gareth. "But they're not exactly the kind of company I fancy. She was late to get on the train, and she didn't have time to find us, they already had tucked her in their compartment, for a lengthy chat about grades, notes, parchments, quills and other stuff the 'Claws find interesting," she added, with a look that showed her total puzzlement at their points of interest.

Kalindra chuckled at that, but Kenneth stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Kalindra.

"Just taking a walk," said Kenneth, walking out of the compartment, without waiting for any reply.

Kalindra looked at him disappear in the alley.

"Right," she said, sniggering.

"What was that about?" asked Gareth.

"At the moment you mention Julie, Kenneth's attention is all yours," said Kalindra. "Where do you think he's going?"

"Off to talk to her?" offered Gareth.

"Well I hope he does," said Mandy, "because those two begin to get boring with their hesitations."

* * *

Kenneth's heart had frozen in his chest. He could hardly believe it. Here he was standing in the middle of the corridor, probably looking like an idiot, his eyes riveted on the scene unfolding before him.

Beyond the glass window that peaked into the Prefect compartment, there she was, locked in a tender kiss with _him_. Denial, incomprehension, and then rage flared in his mind all at once. Julie… was kissing Donahue! A full kiss on the mouth, as if this was some stupid romantic novel.

And then it all made sense. His letter had gone without a reply. He had hoped that she would like to discuss it in person, instead of writing back. But of course, this made more sense. He had been set aside, and she was back with that jerk of a Slytherin.

Rage turned cold inside of his heart, and he breathed in deeply, slowly letting go of his hopes and feeling like a ton of lead had landed in his chest.

And then he saw something that made his stomach churn. Donahue had seen him, and he was smiling into the kiss. That cocky son of a…

_Alright,_ thought Kenneth. _You win, Donahue. She wants you. Serve her well._

And on that last bitter thought, he turned on his heels and walked away. He made his way back to the compartment where Gareth and Kalindra were busy discussing the various hair styles the various Wandmaster clans were sporting as a signature. They noticed his entrance and Kalindra looked puzzled by the face he was probably showing, as he sat back down quickly.

"Kenneth, is there something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm fine," said Kenneth.

He made his best to force a smile back on his face. That was the way things were. There was nothing he could do about it. She had made her choice. So be it.

Later, after Rob and Will had returned, and the Hogsmeade station was announced, Gareth decided it was time for him to take his leave, just in case his presence would look suspicious to Hagrid, who usually greeted the students. So he stood up and shook hands around. When he came to face Kenneth, he had a very intense look at his younger cousin.

"Are you okay, Little Lion?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," said Kenneth, with a shrug. "So, see you around, sometimes? How long are you staying in England?"

"Not too long, but I should be back in October," said Gareth.

"Make sure to pay Dad a visit, or I'll never hear the end of it," said Kenneth.

"I will," said Gareth, with a quick pat at his shoulder. "Take care, cousin."

And on that, he disappeared with a loud pop. Kenneth sat back, facing Kalindra, who was looking at him suspiciously. He hoped that she would let it go, because right now, he didn't feel like talking at all. He kept imagining spending the entire year having to watch Julie hanging out with Donahue, while the memory of that kiss in King's Cross kept haunting him.

_Oh, hell,_ he thought. _I'm in for a rough year._

* * *

_**Alright, now to clarify about the elements of background I used: **_

_**The part in question was obviously about Neville's parents. **__**In Beth's story, Lily Evans (the main character of the fic), went to school and met her two best friends on the Hogwarts Express: Alice Parker and Amelia Bones. This diverts from canon, since Amelia probably is younger in my continuity compared to JK's, since she is of Remus' generation. Also, this suggests a closer acquaintance between Amelia and Harry than what was suggested in OOTP. **_

_**Alice being a close friend to Lily will also matter later in the plot.**_

_**Okay, done! Off to work on the next part! Hope you'll like it, and if you like it, hope you'll review!**_


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